I've been working retail for 10 years now. Something I'm not proud of. It was fine when I was in high school and college and it was just a way for extra money. Now it has unhappily turned into my life line, complete source of income, and own personal hell. I've tried to look on the bright side of my job, but lately, I just can't seem to do it anymore without killing my soul.
You see, when I first started at my current job, I thought it was silly to care so much about shoes and handbags. I could care less if I, personally, bought my shoes at Payless or somewhere else for cheap. I was all of a sudden thrown into this world where people were buying flip flips for $115. Purses ranging from $99-$500. It was outrageous in my mind. After a while it wasn't so much the crazy overpriced things that we sold that got me down, it was more the clientele that we attracted. We have two locations that I have to work at. One is in Uptown New Orleans and the other is in the French Quarter. Though they are the same store, they get the two most opposite type of customers. Uptown, I deal with a lot of bored housewives. Downtown, I get all the cheap tourists who try to haggle down every single price.
I realized how unhappy I was when I would wake up completely miserable on the days that I had to work. My days off turned into days where I would spend just trying to find new jobs or doing film extra gigs just to feel like I was doing something of significance to the world that I so badly want to be a contributing part of.
A perfect example of my personal hell came to me this morning at the French Quarter store. A lady came into the store, voluntarily, and when I looked up at her and said, with a smile on my face, "Hey, how are you today?" The response I got, which isn't the first time by ANY means that I've gotten was, "I'm just looking." Now, I don't know where these people who respond to my friendly "hello" with a defensive "just looking" response grew up, but I have never felt smaller. When did I stop being a person with feelings to a robot who is designed just to try to force items on you for sale?
I know the "just looking" response. It's saved for people on the street who are trying to sell you things you don't want when you are just trying to walk to your destination. Not for people within a store who are simply being nice by asking how you are. I get that they don't want to feel pressured into buying anything if they are just in the store to pass some time, but wait for the question, people. WAIT FOR THE DAMN QUESTION. DON'T AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME THAT JUST BECAUSE I AM AN EMPLOYEE AT THE STORE THAT I AM GOING TO TRY TO SELL YOU A PAIR OF SHOES FOR THE PRICE OF YOUR FIRST BORN CHILD. I. Don't. Give. A. Shit. If. You. Buy. Something. Or. Not. Not sure how else to word this so it's easily digested. Sure, it helps me out if you do, but I get paid either way, so I honestly don't give a shit.
That's my piece for the day. Be nice to retailers. They get paid no matter what.
